STRANGE SHORE: NYC,
NY; Sleepy Hollow, NY; Tarrytown, NY
SUNDRY LAND: The
United States of America
WANDERING WAY: Two
Plays in NYC (“A Life” and “Marie and Rosetta”), followed by a lovely Sunday
day-trip to Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown to lose my head and ogle the Rockefeller’s
vernal and autumnal home, Kykuit.
Even though I’ve been doing important domestic tasks like
cleaning closets and hanging chandeliers (oh yes), I still found time to see
two plays and take a trip up the Hudson River, where people are hearty,
vegetables are organic, and Halloween is the most important holiday of the
year.
And so, WELCOME TO AUTUMN at “Strange and Sundry”!
“A Life” @
Playwrights Horizons (https://www.playwrightshorizons.org/shows/plays/a-life/):
When I was still gallivanting around Europe, I bought my
ticket to see David Hyde Pierce in “A Life,” mostly because the actor made me
laugh countless times playing Niles Crane on “Frasier” in long-gone days of the
1990s (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106004/).
Then and now, Pierce has perfect comic timing and charisma to spare. Given this
admission of my Pierce-preference, you may be wondering why I haven’t made more
of an effort to see the man in all his theatrical outings. I did see him in the
original production of Spamalot (https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/spamalot-384262),
but there’s no denying that I’ve been remiss in my Pierce-watching. I blame
grad school, which threw my priorities totally out of whack for too many years.
So imagine my glee when I managed to finagle tickets for “A
Life” (with Pierce) AND “Hello Dolly!” (with BETTE MIDLER AND DAVID HYDE PIERCE). I can tell that you’re already thinking, “OMG,
where can I get my own “Hello Dolly!”
tickets?” Well, as you may know if you’ve been following the latest theatrical
news (and I know you have), “Hello Dolly!” almost broke the Internet in the
first 24 hours that it went on sale, and so good luck getting tickets now (https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/sep/20/hello-dolly-with-bette-midler-breaks-broadway-ticket-sales-record).
Not to worry! Your faithful travel blogger has a ticket, which is the essential
thing.
On my way to see “A Life” at Playwrights Horizons, I hummed
the title theme from “Hello Dolly!” fully expecting to laugh my head off that
evening. (David Hyde Pierce is known for comedy – he holds a corner on the NYC market
for “comic actors of a certain age” whenever Nathan Lane or Matthew Broderick
are too busy.) Instead, I was moved to tears.
Yes, David Hyde Pierce is as pithy and droll as ever, but
the play is a rumination on the minute details of life and death in New York
City. It offers an honest, sensitive appraisal of everyday tragedies, so common
that we’re hesitant to acknowledge them; it would mean acknowledging the fragility
of every single person’s life and happiness. To quote George Eliot (as I’m apt
to do since I’m still so proud of myself for actually finishing Middlemarch), “If we had a keen vision and feeling of all
ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel's
heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of
silence. As it is, the quickest of us walk about well wadded with stupidity” (Chapter
20).
It’s a wonderful play. Pierce’s engaging (if overly long) monologue
prepares the audience for a light satire on city life, and then the playwright wallops
everyone with a hard, hard truth. To give away the surprise (and the brilliant
method in which this twist is executed) would be a crime, particularly since “A
Life” officially opens tonight, October 24th. If the preview performance
that I caught is any indication, I think New York City may have its first great
play of the season. Kudos to Playwrights Horizons for producing plays by new
talents, and three cheers to David Hyde Pierce for lending out his star-power
to a contemporary playwright (Adam Bock) in a small production that deserves to
be seen by anyone and everyone.
“Marie and Rosetta”
@ The Atlantic Theater Company (https://atlantictheater.org/playevents/marie-and-rosetta/):
Unlike “A Life” which is still in previews, “Marie and
Rosetta” extended its run so many times that it was STILL running when I made
my triumphant return to NYC. Over the years, I’ve found that whenever a little off-Broadway
play extends its run more than twice, it’s a pretty good bet that you’ll have a
good night at the theater.
Given that the play was being produced by Atlantic, which
shows uncannily fine taste in its productions – the most recent example being
the fantabulous revival of Caryl Churchill’s “Cloud Nine” (https://atlantictheater.org/playevents/cloudnine/)
– you may wonder why I ever doubted whether it was worth seeing “Marie and
Rosetta.” Well, the truth is that I’m not overly fond of the playwright George
Brandt, who composed the overrated “Grounded” at the Public Theater (with Anne
Hathaway), which (heaven help us) the powers-that-be are planning to film (http://variety.com/2016/film/news/anne-hathaway-drone-movie-grounded-1201767579/).
Ugh. I really hate paint-by-numbers, on-the-nose, movie-of-the-week writing…
Causes rashes and hives, yes? I feel itchy just thinking about it.
I was right to worry. George Brandt’s script for “Marie
and Rosetta” is also paint-by-numbers,
on-the-nose melodrama, and I do wish that this guy would leave alone the
theatrical world and write for soap operas, his natural idiom. However, Brandt
did have the insight to pick A GREAT SUBJECT FOR A PLAY, namely, Sister Rosetta
Tharpe: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sister_Rosetta_Tharpe
& http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/sister-rosetta-tharpe-full-episode/2516/).
And glory be, Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s heavenly, rockin’ music saved the
evening, especially since it was given voice by the SPECTACULAR talent of Kecia
Lewis(https://atlantictheater.org/playevents/marie-and-rosetta/kecia-lewis/).
The Atlantic Theater is housed in an old church, and Lewis’s gorgeous singing
reverberated like a miracle.
Welcome to Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown:
Halloween is the quintessential New York holiday, in my
opinion. Certainly Thanksgiving brings the big parade and Christmas brings the
big tree, but any New Yorker knows that Halloween’s where it’s at. October’s a
lovely time of year in the Northeast, and Halloween nights tend to be
appealingly crisp but not-too-cold in New York.
I do not know a single person
in New York City who DOES NOT dress up and party down on Halloween. Stores and
restaurants give out treats to the kids, all of whom are attired in the cutest
costumes ever devised, and then the adults also don costumes and party-hop into
the wee hours of the night. New Yorkers aren’t afraid of letting their freak
flags fly. Truth be told, New Yorkers are pretty freaky year-round, and
Halloween is the ripest opportunity for the outsiders, artists, and dreamers
who flock to the city to express themselves most fully. (The Coney Island
Mermaid Parade in June is making inroads as the costume-event-of-the-year, but
there’s still no real contest.) Given all this merry revelry, I’d go so far as
to say that Halloween is one of the least
scary days you could spend in New York City.
(All hail Amanda Johnson, the Bride of Frankenstein!)
Moreover, Halloween traditions have deep American roots in
New York State, given the enduring influence of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I love,
love, love The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,
and I sometimes wonder if the watching and re-watching the Disney cartoon
influenced some unconscious part of my brain to seek out residence in New York…
Maybe, but it’s probably the availability of live theatre that really made my
homestead inevitable.
Here’s the funny thing though. Until two years ago, I had
never read the original Legend of Sleepy
Hollow, having always accepted the brilliant Disney movie (with its wonderful
narration by Bing Crosby) as the ne plus
ultra version of the story, which I admit is a bit odd (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x28oc6j_the-legend-of-sleepy-hollow-1949-cartoon_shortfilms).
A couple years ago, I was inspired by the goofy but amusing
TV show “Sleepy Hollow” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2647544/)
to visit the actual, real-life village of Sleepy Hollow, and it was also the
first time that I listened to Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow on Audible. It’s narrated by Tom Mison.
If you’re a certain age, female, and heterosexual, there’s some likelihood you
will have already noted the existence of Tom Mison (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2070427/?ref_=tt_cl_t1).
For any fans, it’ll hardly be surprising that Mr. Mison offers a perfect narration
of the story, and I can’t honestly say whether I prefer Bing Crosby’s or Tom
Mison’s performance of the Legend. (Note:
The audiobook costs $4.68 - $6.95 on Audible, and you’d be purchasing 1 hour and
15 minutes of pure amusement: http://www.audible.com/pd/Classics/The-Legend-of-Sleepy-Hollow-Audiobook/B00N0ETQO4/ref=a_search_c4_1_2_srTtl?qid=1476908055&sr=1-2).
This first trip to Sleepy Hollow, NY was so satisfactory
that whenever October rolls around, I’m rather fond of hopping on the
MetroNorth train at 125th Street and riding for forty minutes to
Tarrytown, NY, where one may walk in twenty minutes to Sleepy Hollow. Roundtrip,
I’m able to listen to the full audiotape of The
Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Is there anything more
pleasant than gazing out a train window at colorful fall leaves reflecting off
the wide expanse of the Hudson River in the golden light of October while
listening to Tom Mison narrate The Legend
of Sleepy Hollow?Every year, I become more and more convinced that I really
may have discovered the ne plus ultra
of aesthetic experience.
One note about the original Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving: It’s quite wordy and
quite funny in an Old Dutch Americana kinda way. If you’re looking for a scary
story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow would
be a poor choice. As it turns out, DISNEY
MADE THE TALE MUCH SCARIER. Really. Says something. In both versions however,
Ichabod Crane is an indelibly amusing character.
Like Disney, Bing Crosby, FOX TV, and Tom Mison, the good people of the Hudson River Valley are acutely aware of the timeless charm of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and they milk the Legend for tourist dollars every autumn. I would say that this mercenary approach to an American Classic was unseemly, but the locals must’ve inherited the keen business sense of their mercantile Dutch forebears because all of the “Headless Horseman” marketing and cross-marketing comes across as rather charming, too. In a hokey sort of way. What can I say? I like my Halloween hokey.
[Sidenote: If you visit Sleepy Hollow/Tarrytown, stop by Tarrytown Pastry Chef (http://www.foodidude.com/restaurant-reviews/pastry-chef-o-tarrytown-ny). Thank me later.]
If you’re anything like me, lazy Sunday mornings in autumn
don’t inspire you to jump out of bed, bright-eyed, with punctual designs on the
day. Truth be told, I have never arrived at The Historic Hudson Valley Visitor
Center on time for my scheduled tour (http://www.hudsonvalley.org).
[NOTE: ALWAYS BUY ADVANCED TICKETS. THE HUDSON VALLEY IS POPULAR.]
Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m always excited to visit Sleepy Hollow. Despite this enthusiasm, I still enter
an autumnal time warp some time between 9-11am on Sunday morning that deters my head from lifting from my soft, downy pillow. Consequently, I miss the morning
train, which forces me to catch one about thirty minutes later. All of this
out-of-time hubbub ultimately results in my rolling up to the Historic Hudson
Valley Visitor Center at least half
an hour late. Oh no! Whatever do I do! The Historic Hudson Valley website publicizes a severe NO RETURNS/NO EXCHANGES policy.
Be that as it may, a significant attitude shift occurs in
the population as soon as I depart Manhattan and enter the calmer -- one might even say "sleepy" -- climes of the
Hudson River Valley. Despite the strident rules outlined on the website, none
of the sweet, apple-cheeked volunteers at the Historic Hudson River Valley Visitor Center have
ever turned me away…even when I arrive very, very late. In fact, some kind lady
never fails to whisper, “Don’t tell anyone we’re doing this, but we put you in the
next tour that’s leaving right now,” and then she usually gives me a wink and a discount.
Given that the cheery volunteers always
make an exception for me, I’m fairly convinced that no one in Sleepy Hollow is
capable of being severe with a perpetually tardy Sunday traveler. [That said, I
wouldn’t risk being late if you’re traveling with a larger group. There are
significant advantages to traveling solo.]
After my impromptu enlistment in the afternoon Kykuit
tour, I had the pleasure of riding out to John D. Rockefeller’s estate in the
leafy glory of October. Here’s a small sampling photographs of the scenery that
graces this impressive piece of property, and it must be said that being “the
richest man in history” (http://www.forbes.com/sites/carlodonnell/2014/07/11/the-rockefellers-the-legacy-of-historys-richest-man/#1c7f2a7160e7)
had significant advantages when it came to securing real estate.
It turns out that John D. Rockefeller prioritized nature above
any man-made art form, and he bought giant tracts of land to preserve the
beauty of the landscape (and the view from his west-facing bedroom window).
Kykuit (“lookout” in Dutch) itself rests in “The Park” – 250 acres –where
Rockefeller descendants still convene in “The Playhouse” for relaxing weekends
(http://www.nytimes.com/1981/10/25/nyregion/a-place-the-rockefellers-call-home.html);
the rest of the estate, a whopping 3,510 acres, has been converted into national
parks and forest preserves, which means that nasty real estate developers haven’t
been able to build ugly McMansions in the upper reaches of the Pocantico Hills.
Take that developers! The old robber baron wins again!
The Rockefellers still honor their paterfamilias’s appreciation
for nature by focusing on conservation efforts – if you happen to be throwing
an environmental conference anytime soon, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund would
be happy to contribute its Pocantico Conference Center FOR FREE. Just cuz. (http://www.rbf.org/pocantico)
Later generations of the family, specifically John D.
Rockefeller, Jr. and Nelson Rockefeller, inhabited Kykuit in turn, and each
scion put his signature touch on the estate. Jr. contributed an eye-popping
East Asian Art Collection full of Tang, Ming, and Qing Dynasty masterpieces,
and Nelson (certainly the most art-savvy member of the clan) collected one of
the most impressive modern art collections in the world.
Without a doubt, the most astounding pieces are Nelson
Rockefeller’s Picasso tapestries, which he commissioned Pablo Picasso to design
for Kykuit. If I had a genius of twentieth-century art at my beck-and-call, I
might want Picasso, too. (For starters, there’s little doubt that Picasso would
have interesting chit-chat to contribute to any cocktail party.) If you’ve
never seen a Picasso tapestry, there’s a very good reason. Picasso really only
designed them for Nelson Rockefeller, and Nelson Rockefeller only hung these
giant masterpieces in his basement (yup) at Kykuit (except for the one that he
donated to the U.N. Building: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/the_gist/2003/02/hidden_treasures.html).
There were a few tapestries completed in every year in Nelson’s and Pablo’s
friendship (~1955-1972), meaning that Nelson Rockefeller owned NINETEEN
original, one-of-a-kind Picasso tapestries before giving ONE to the U.N. in
1985. (Eventually, THREE tapestries were sold to other private collectors.) For
the remaining FIFTEEN tapestries, Nelson specified that these masterworks STAY IN
THE BASEMENT of Kykuit for all time (except when loaned to the occasional exhibition), and so there they shall hang until the cows
come home. Wow.
If I had to pick a favorite Picasso tapestry, I’d pick “Tapestry
after Interior with a Girl Drawing, 1935,
woven 1968-70,” which you can discern in the far right of this photo.
This tapestry appeals due to its bright colors, feminist
subject matter (somewhat unusual for Picasso), and jazzy composition. In
addition to owning the tapestry, Nelson A. Rockefeller also owned the Picasso painting
on which the tapestry was based.
Unlike the tapestry, which is growing musty in
the Kykuit basement, Nelson donated this painting to MOMA (http://www.moma.org/collection/works/80432)
-- as some will know, Nelson A. Rockefeller became President of MOMA in 1939: (https://www.moma.org/momaorg/shared/pdfs/docs/press_archives/486/releases/MOMA_1939_0017_1939-05-08_39508-17.pdf?2010).
Nelson was also Governor of New York (1959-1973) and Vice President of the
United States under President Gerald Ford (1974-1977) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Rockefeller]. So you see, there’s no denying that Nelson A. Rockefeller was a busy guy in addition to
being one of the premiere art collectors and philanthropists of the twentieth century,
and I suppose he might be forgiven for hoarding Picasso tapestries like Smaug
hoarded gold in Lord of the Rings.
Farewell! I'll be traveling to Naples, Florida and Austin, Texas over the next week and a half. If I don't manage to update "Strange and Sundry" in the meantime, let me wish you a very HAPPY HALLOWEEN! As a proper Halloween treat, here are some photos of the Kitty-Zombie-Princess-Pumpkin Cake that I baked for my friend Amanda (a.k.a. The Bride of Frankenstein), who celebrates her birthday and Halloween in tandem nearly every year.
In a peculiar (and somewhat gruesome) chain of events, Princess Kitty-Zombie gave birth to a flaming skull in celebration of the big day. (More sensitive readers may wish to avert their eyes.)
Needless to say, Amanda made a wish. Happy Birthday Amanda, and
HAPPY HALLOWEEN, dear readers!!!!
